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Samantha Whitwell named Mt. Pleasant Citizen of Month

MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant native Samantha “Sam” Whitwell doubled as town Santa in December, earning her the honor “Citizen of the Month” for March.

Whitwell had helped with a Santa Train in Pulaski in 2011, and “after my boys and I left the event, we thought it would be a good idea for Mt. Pleasant, since the main office for the railroad is here,” she says.

Whitwell mentioned the idea to some friends at the annual Mt. Pleasant Easter egg hunt. She then met with business and school officials through the summer. Organizers incorporated the program the elementary school had done the previous year with the train idea. Her dedication launched the Santa Train program during Christmas 2012.

Whitwell is a nurse practitioner with Mt. Pleasant’s Fast Pace Clinic, also known during Christmas 2012 as Santa’s Workshop.

“We served 97 families and helped 230 kids have a good Christmas,” she says.

“Every night the week before the Santa Train, we would shut down after the last patient and our clinic would become Santa’s workshop. Fast Pace staff, as well as numerous volunteers from MPES and their families, wrapped gifts and organized the event. Most nights we were there until 11-12 p.m. Several teachers and SRO officers helped with the distribution of gifts at the event. We had such a huge need and response we had to utilize two venues to accommodate it — WR Grace and the Mt. Pleasant Community Center.”

Sam is a registered nurse who also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. In addition to working at Fast Pace, she also teaches clinicals for the BSN program at Martin Methodist College. She is licensed a family nurse practitioner. She is the daughter of Ollie Mae and Olene Odom, and has two children, Will and Drew. A member of St. Phillip’s Catholic Church, Whitwell enjoys traveling, camping, hiking and running.

“I want to be sure that we mention those that helped so much,” Sam says. “My boys and I had the idea after leaving Pulaski that night, but none of it would have happened without all these dedicated people. For example, Elizabeth Cline spent countless hours making sure all information was organized and no child was left out. Kendall Roberts and Anna Russ also put in long hours as well as their husbands Matthew Cline, Neyland Roberts and Nick Russ and their families. MPES teachers also showed up willing and ready to help, especially Rebecca Hughes, Vickie Chatman and Judy Chapman.”

Whitwell says organizers were grateful for the number of people who stepped up with donations. “We would especially like to thank Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, Summertown Baptist Church, Kittrell’s Cars and the ladies at Southeastern Shirt Corp for their generous donations, fundraisers and gifts. Dr. Reams and Carey Powers gave generous monetary donations, gifts and help with wrapping. Mike Wade at Mt. Pleasant Transfer donated the use of a truck and time for transport. The Mt. Pleasant Fire Department safely transported the Clauses from Grace to the Community Center. We really appreciate Walt Robinson at Tennessee Southern for his support and getting use of the train. Also, Kim, Dot and Patrick at Grace. And of course many thanks to Santa and Mrs. Claus.”

Whitwell noted the role Face Pace Clinic played in the tremendous success of Santa’s Train. She says that the expansion plans of Fast Pace to add five new clinics in the area “will allow us to be more involved in many community events and be an active contributor to existing programs and the creation of new ones.”

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